A Police Services Act tribunal call scheduled for this morning for a high-ranking Barrie officer to address pending charges against her has been postponed again.
Insp. Val Gates, who now faces two discreditable conduct charges under the Police Services Act stemming from an on-duty, internal incident, was scheduled to take part in a conference call at 8:30 a.m. today.
However, a notice on the Barrie Police Service website on June 11 noted the conference call had been postponed until July 30 at 8:30 a.m.
No reason for the postponement was given.
Gates is also scheduled for an additional conference call on Wednesday, June 26 beginning at 9 a.m.
Gates was first charged in December 2023 with one charge of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act, stemming from an alleged internal incident that happened while on duty.
The second charge, according to police officials, was laid early last week.
Both charges are related to the same series of events, police have confirmed.
The specific nature of the allegations remains unclear.
This also isn't the first time the case has been postponed.
Earlier this year, a hearing that was initially scheduled for Jan. 12 was pushed to Jan. 23 due to a scheduling issue. At the time, prosecutor Jessica Barrow noted there had been a disclosure request earlier in the week, and the prosecution needed more time to complete “whatever needs to be completed in relation to the disclosure request.”
Gates, who is married to Barrie Police Chief Rich Johnston, has spent a large part of her policing career working in domestic violence, as well as in areas of mental health and child/youth advocacy.
